A study conducted by the Department of Medicine at the Union Memorial Hospital in Maryland compared photolight therapy to the use of vitamin D on a group of subjects with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

The randomized controlled trial found that after one month the subjects who received phototherapy showed no significant improvements in their vitamin D levels or in their depression. However, the group who received vitamin D experienced significant reductions in their depression and showed increased levels of vitamin D in their blood serum.

The study concluded that vitamin D3 may be a valuable treatment for SAD.

Multiple studies on the use of vitamin D for depression, anxiety and cognitive disorders have been listed at the Vitamin D Council site.

Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 provides 5000 iu’s per dose of highly bioavailable vitamin D3 with the additional benefit of vitamin K2 for increased bone and vascular health. Many people who were disappointed with vitamin D in capsule form have enjoyed the ease of use and up to 95% absorption provided in this delicious drinkable isotonic solution.

Curcumin is the most biologically active ingredient found in the herb, turmeric, which is part of the ginger family. Used for centuries in Indian cooking, this potent phytochemical (plant chemical) has been identified as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-amyloid (inhibits abnormal protein deposits – like brain plaque), anti-tumor (causes apoptosis or cell death in cancerous cells) and enhances immune system function by increasing the production of glutathione.

If that wasn’t enough – there’s more!

A recent study published in Psychopharmacology on curcumin found that it behaves like a natural antidepressant by increasing serotonin as well as dopamine levels.

Unfortunately, most natural forms of curcumin are not very bioavailable. By the time they pass from the stomach into the small intestine for absorption the active ingredient is quite degraded and has lost its potency. However, a naturally-occurring and patented form of curcumin has been developed called BCM-95®, which delivers six times more bioactive curcumin into the blood than typical curcumin.

Curcumin Extreme™ contains this optimal type of pharmacologically bioactive curcumin known as BCM-95® in a unique synergistic formula.

The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published study results recommending that vitamin D3 be used in conjunction with curcumin to prevent Alzheimer’s and cellular damage/destruction to brain cells caused by free radicals through oxidative stress.

According to Dr. Milan Fiala, study author and a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, “We hope that vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventive and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 is a drinkable, highly bioavailable and active form of D3. Using Isotonix® Vitamin D with K2 along with Curcumin Extreme™ would be an excellent response to Dr. Fiala’s suggestion.

In 2009 a group of researchers in Italy conducted a study to see if an isotonic formula of a known highly effective antioxidant behaved differently on the body compared to the same antioxidant in tablet form.

Isotonix OPC-3® is a powdered antioxidant blend that when mixed with the appropriate amount of water becomes “isotonic“. Isotonic means “same concentration” and is an ideal ratio between solid and liquids that our bodies convert what we ingest into before it can pass into the small intestine.

The four hour test compared Isotonix OPC-3® in a tablet form to Isotonix OPC-3® in its standard isotonic form. The amount of water that was consumed with the tablet was equal to the amount of water used in the isotonic version.

Results of the test were startling. Levels of free radicals were measured in the blood plasma of test subjects. The isotonic OPC-3® reduced free radicals six times more in just 10 minutes compared to the tablet version. The tablet form did eventually reduce free radicals substantially as well, but seriously lagged behind the isotonic form thorough out the four hour test .

Researchers concluded that “the findings demonstrate that the flavonoid mixture provided in isotonic OPC-3® is significantly more bio-available in humans, in terms of antioxidant activity than an equivalent mixture in tablet form.” Overall the isotonic OPC-3® formulation resulted in a stronger antioxidative effect than an equivalent tablet form.

If you’ve wondered whether an emotional behavior may be rooted more in chemistry than physiology, you may be right. Serotonin has a powerful effect on our feelings and physical behavior. When serotonin levels are adequate we feel safe, happy, content, satiated, and have great impulse control. Serotonin deficiency syndrome is when levels are low enough to cause or exacerbate the following:

These behaviors and emotional states are not necessarily produced by a physical dysfunction in the brain. Instead, it may be based on a biochemical condition that can be traced back to the brain’s serotonin neural circuits which are hampered due to inadequate amounts of serotonin in the nerve pathways. A serotonin precursor called l-tryptophan (or tryptophan) can restore these biochemical transmissions to the serotonin neural receptors. L-Tryptophan supplementation is a safe and natural way of increasing low serotonin levels.

The aging process, along with several neurodegenerative diseases, causes synaptic deterioration in the brain. As neurons and brain cells die off, connections are lost impacting learning and memory retention. Doctors studying Alzheimer’s and other types of age-related dementia are encouraged by a new study on how resveratrol reversed cognitive deterioration in laboratory tests.

In addition to protecting cell health and longevity, SIRT1 is a gene that our bodies trigger when under various types of stress. SIRT1 activation was initiated in mice that had developed comparable human neurodegenerative diseases. The mice were treated with resveratrol, which reduced the rate of neuron and cell death and restored learning abilities back to the same level as the normal healthy mice.

“Thus, resveratrol is not only neuroprotective, it also improves cognitive function after severe neurodegeneration,” says Li-Huei Tsai, the research team leader and professor of neuroscience at MIT.

Previously it was thought that resveratrol could not cross the blood brain barrier, however a study done in 2002 indicated otherwise. In fact, the final summary line stated: “This study demonstrated for the first time that resveratrol, a polyphenolic antioxidant, can cross the blood-brain barrier and exert protective effects against cerebral ischemic injury.” (An ischemic injury is caused by insufficient oxygen or blood flow).

Resveratrol offers yet another safe and natural benefit that could actually improve cognitive function in cases of neurodegenerative disease.